Swiss carbon removal company Neustark and UK-based building materials supplier Aggregate Industries have launched a new technology in London designed to capture and permanently store carbon in recycled concrete.
Operational as of today (8th November), their first UK site in Greenwich is set to store up to 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year – equivalent to the carbon absorbed by over 16,000 tree seedlings over a decade.
This project marks Neustark’s entry into the UK market and introduces one of the country’s first commercially viable solutions for permanent, onshore carbon removal.
The initiative reflects growing efforts to decarbonise the construction industry, which accounts for 37% of global carbon emissions, with cement production alone responsible for 7%, according to a recent United Nations report.
Neustark’s approach uses carbon mineralisation, capturing CO2 from biomass sites and injecting it into mineral waste streams like demolished concrete. The CO2 becomes permanently stored within the aggregate, which is then repurposed as carbonated, recycled concrete for construction use.
“We have already deployed 19 sites in Central Europe that capture and remove thousands of tonnes of CO2,” explained Valentin Gutknecht, CEO and co-founder of Neustark. “By extending our relationship with Holcim and partnering with Aggregate Industries, we are now bringing this revolutionary technology to the UK.”
Lee Sleight, CEO of Aggregate Industries UK, said, “Our partnership with Neustark takes the battle to reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry to the next level. Together, we can remove carbon from the atmosphere and permanently lock it into recycled concrete, which can be used again in new construction projects.”
Following the UK government’s recent pledge of £21.7 billion for carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, Gutknecht highlighted the need for expanded government support, stating, “There is not enough focus on carbon removal, or consideration of how carbon removal can be embedded into existing supply chains and industries beyond oil and gas rather than always requiring extensive new infrastructure.”
According to Neustark, since its commercial launch in 2023, the company has removed over 2,500 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. It has also expressed plans to expand rapidly, with aims to establish approximately 40 additional sites across Europe by 2025, building on its current network of 19.
Across Europe, carbon mineralisation projects are gaining momentum as industries seek sustainable carbon removal solutions. In Norway, the Northern Lightsproject plans to capture and store up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 annually from industrial sites, including a cement plant in Brevik.
In Iceland, the Carbfixproject uses basalt rock formations near the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant to capture and store around 12,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, aiming for expansion.
Switzerland’s ClimeworksOrca facility, built in partnership with Carbfix, currently captures 4,000 tonnes of CO2 yearly, with plans to scale further in line with Europe’s decarbonisation targets.
